Prawaas 4.0 returns to spotlight the resurgence of the intra- and inter-city people mover segment with next-generation, greener solutions to meet operator requirements, writes Ashish Bhatia.
Prawaas 4.0 is all set to spotlight next generation people movers! Moving out of the HITEX International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Hyderabad, the symposium will for the first time be hosted at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), in Karnataka. The fourth edition will witness the convergence of private bus fleet operators and State Transport Undertaking (STUs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), bus-body builders, component manufacturers, software and technology companies, startups and value-added service providers like in the past editions. Backed by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Heavy Industries, Govt. of India, Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), a National Apex body of Bus & Car fleet owners and operators put up a strong representation. The fourth edition aspires to exceed past participation with over 200 exhibitors and key ecosystem speakers with 10,000+ visitors expected to make their presence felt. Prasanna Patwardhan, President of BOCI and Chairman and Managing Director at Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Ltd. welcomed visitors and delegates to the 2024 edition to be held between August 29-31, 2024. He expressed, “The stakeholders of the people transportation from Karnataka are eager to welcome you at BIEC. We especially welcome the next generation to take advantage of the symposium and leverage the knowledge sharing through the concourse.”
This year the delegates will deliberate on subjects like ‘Insurance Insights For Navigating Risk’, ‘Glimpse Into The Future Of India’s Transport’ and ‘Why Does India Need A Public Transport Revolution”. Private transport operators ferry more than 32 crore passengers daily. This is exponentially higher than airlines, railways and STUs put together. Decongesting urban metros, reducing the cost of commute and boosting tax revenue for the government are well-known advantages of public transportation. Aiming for safe, smart, sustainable passenger mobility, the fourth edition will stress aligning with new and emerging trends in the mobility industry at scale.
Reality Check
The current state of private transportation must be enhanced, and a few reality checks must be performed to gain a perspective on this side of the industry’s demands like in the past editions. Private bus fleet operators are known to own 17 lakh buses out of a total of 19 lakh buses plying in the country. They account for 92 per cent of the total bus fleet operational in India. In comparison, approximately 1.3 lakh buses belong to the State Transport Undertakings (STUs), with an additional 20,000 buses plying under the umbrella of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). The wait for an integrated transport solution with a special focus on people movers under the broader classification of road transportation continues to drive decision-making. What is better than having all stakeholders converge under one roof for swift decision-making and on-ground implementation?
The stakeholders will address daily operational issues like the growing traffic bottlenecks and call for support to decongest the densely populated urban metros, especially during peak hours. As the second-largest bus and coach market in the world, the spotlight will be back on the coming together of all the stakeholders including OEMs with an impetus on meeting operator needs who in turn will look to enhance the commuter value proposition. The Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will be in focus again as they prioritise the acquisition of high-quality buses. Companies like RedBus, AbhiBus, Chalo, Bitla, and Paytm Bus continue to work on value-added services including e-ticketing and leveraging connectivity beyond metropolitan areas. Credit availability and leasing models like the GCC could be mentioned. The break on FAME subsidies pushing up the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings will also be a hot topic of deliberation. The development in infrastructure with the addition to the NH network will translate to new connectivity options for customers. Sub-segments like last-mile mobility and school and staff transportation stakeholders will also deliberate on ironing out bottlenecks and scaling up cost-effectively.
Expect OEMs like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, VECV, Eka Mobility, and JBM among others to drive multiple energy solutions to cater to the full range of requirements, from the first mile to the last mile including new offerings to the bus segment as they pledge to enhance operator value propositions and the promise of lower TCO. JBM Auto, Eka Mobility, VE Commercial Vehicles and Volvo Buses, Bosch Mobility, Bitla, Veera, Prakash, KPIT, Eberspacher, TransAcnr, Maruti Suzuki, Speheros, Nippon Paint, Sika and Shavo are among the leading exhibitors this year. Watch out for products like the all new Tata Ultra EV 7m , a zero-emission, intra-city ebus to meet requirements of urban mass mobility; the front-engine multi-axle Ashok Leyland offering, luxury coaches including the upgrade Volvo 9600 coach, the Eka 9m ebus and the K1.5 LCV to draw footfalls. Ancillaries like Nippon Paint India will showcase CV specific coating solutions expected to catch the eye of fleet operators. The roadshows across the country have set the tone for the grand gala finale. Afzal A, General Secretary of BOCI and CMD, Parveen Travels drew attention to participation from new OEMs including EV bus manufacturers. “This edition of Prawaas 4.0 is going to be a grander gala event for the passenger transport fraternity,” he concluded.
